Agnes Scott College (GA) has hired Lies Van Bekkum as its first sustainability fellow. Van Bekkum’s role as Agnes Scott’s Sustainability Fellow is shared with the city of Decatur where she works closely with the city’s new Environmental Sustainability Board. Van Bekkum, born and raised in the Netherlands, graduated from ASG in 2008 with a degree in Psychology.

Georgia Institute of Technology has hired John C. Crittenden, Ph.D., as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Sustainable Systems and Director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems. In addition, he is also slated to fill the Hightower Chair in Sustainable Systems pending Board of Regents approval. Dr. Crittenden has received multiple awards for his research in the treatment and removal of hazardous materials from drinking and groundwater. He also has designed and received copyrights on computer software programs that analyze various pollution and absorption methods.

The Indiana University Library System has named Kathy McCarnes to the newly formed position of sustainability officer. The System also plans to form a permanent task force that would promote the use of recycled paper and aid the transformation to more efficient technologies to eliminate wasted energy. McCarnes is tasked with heading the committee and encouraging sustainable practices within the IU Libraries System.

Green Mountain College (VT) has hired Amber Garrard as its new sustainability coordinator. Garrard holds an M.A. in sustainable development from SIT Graduate Institute, has started and managed a community garden, and was a research fellow for the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education (CESE) at Dickinson College (PA) has announced an internal sustainability curriculum development program, the Environmental Education Fund (EEF), now available to all teaching staff. Curriculum, professional, and student-faculty development grants are competitively available to assist faculty in enhancing and creating environmentally and sustainability-related course content with emphasis on transdisciplinary, co-curricular, farm/biodiesel, watershed, global education, and community service projects. Projects will be funded based on their scholarly or creative merit and potential to advance knowledge about the effects of humans' actions on the environment. In addition, Dickinson College has announced an internal faculty development workshop that will allow a select group of faculty from across the curriculum to discuss the integration of the environment into college courses. Participants will explore methodologies by which the Dickinson community can meaningfully integrate sustainability through a variety of approaches, including place-based study, experiential learning, and multi-disciplinary team teaching.

George Washington University (DC) has hired Meghan Chapple-Brown as the University's first director of the office of sustainability. Chapple-Brown will coordinate operational activities university-wide under a collaborative plan that aims to maximize GW’s environmental efficiency at its two campuses in Washington, D.C. and Ashburn, VA. The new director will also work with the GW Office of Planning and Environmental Management to help create a comprehensive climate neutrality plan, which will target the reduction of greenhouse gases, and work with an academic task force looking at innovative curriculum in sustainability.

University of Michigan aquatic ecologist Donald Scavia, an internationally recognized expert on coastal "dead zones," has been named the new director of the University's Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. Scavia, a professor of natural resources and environment and director of the Michigan Sea Grant Program, has studied the Great Lakes and other coastal ecosystems for more than three decades. He joined the U-M faculty in 2004 after serving as chief scientist for the U.S. National Ocean Service. The Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute was launched in 2005 and supports multidisciplinary research and education related to environmental sustainability. It awards research grants, fellowships and scholarships, and it sponsors academic programs. The institute focuses on six key issues: energy; freshwater and marine resources; human health and the environment; biodiversity and global change; sustainable infrastructure, built environment and manufacturing; and environmental policymaking and human behavior.

The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has appointed Almut Beringer as the University's first director of sustainability. Dr. Beringer will lead the effort to carry out goals outlined in the Campus Sustainability Plan, which was unveiled in April 2008, and will also work with the provost on incorporating sustainability into the curriculum. She will report jointly to the vice chancellor for administrative services and the interim provost. Dr. Beringer previously served as a senior research fellow for the Sustainable University Project at the University of Lí¼neburg in Germany.

The University of California, Davis has received $2.5 million from the Chevron Corporation to create a permanent leadership position for the campus's Energy Efficiency Center. The person appointed to the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency will direct the center, which was established in 2006. The campus plans to conduct a national search for the person to hold the Chevron Chair. S/he will be responsible for expanding the impact of the center’s research programs through interdisciplinary collaboration, education, outreach, and commercialization of technologies. He or she also will continue developing strong links with state and federal government, as well as with international programs.

The University of North Carolina, Wilmington has hired Alyssa Halle as sustainability coordinator for the Campus Life Facilities. Halle is now responsible for documenting sustainable progress made thus far and creating new ways of making the campus more sustainable.

Louisiana State University has hired Denise Scribner as the institution's first campus sustainability coordinator. Housed within LSU's Department of Facility Services, the new hire will be responsible for cataloging existing eco-friendly initiatives around campus and spearheading new ways to cut back on waste and carbon emissions. Scribner will also research grant opportunities relating to sustainability and coordinate campus and community relations in order to communicate LSU’s ongoing efforts to the faculty, students, staff, and Baton Rouge area.

The University of California, Los Angeles has hired Nurit Katz as its first Sustainability Coordinator. Katz has an MBA and a Master's of Public Policy, both from UCLA, and a certificate for completing the four course "Leaders in Sustainability" program – a program that she helped develop. Her first task will be to finalize the campus' first climate action plan.

The University of Chicago (IL) has hired Ilsa Flanagan as the University's first Sustainability Director. Flanagan will work to develop a program to help the University incorporate sustainability into its academic pursuits. She will also work with the campus's Sustainability Project Manager, Associate Vice President, and the Sustainability Council to establish a campus-wide definition of sustainability. Unity College (ME) has announced the hiring of Rob Beranek as the campus's new Sustainability Coordinator. Beranek was the Managing Director of the Unity Center for Environmental Education, and he holds an undergraduate degree in physics and a Master's of Science in Environmental Studies. The University of Iowa has named Liz Christiansen, currently the deputy director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, as its Director of the Office of Sustainability. In her new role, Christiansen will coordinate and develop programs to promote sustainability and resource conservation; lead or coordinate efforts to formulate institutional goals, policies, practices and measure progress; seek grants and other funding to financially support campus sustainability efforts; and work to enhance and enlarge the UI community's understanding of the importance and feasibility of sustainability initiatives from an ecological and financial perspective.

The Indiana University Student Association (IUSA) has named Abby Schwimmer as its first Student Director of Sustainability. In addition, the IUSA Department of Sustainability has chosen Stas Futoransky as the Assistant Director. Plans for the two appointees include general sustainability education outreach, efforts to increase recycling among students who live off campus, and looking into a solution for “e-waste,” which includes disposing and refurbishing old and unused electronic devices in an environmentally friendly way.

Allegheny College (PA) has hired Kelly Boulton to fill its newly created full-time position of Sustainability Coordinator. Boulton will support Allegheny's efforts to coordinate and strengthen stewardship programs already in place, work to implement new sustainability projects, and use the College's baseline greenhouse gas inventory to develop a comprehensive action plan outlining in detail the steps necessary to achieve climate neutrality.

Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley has appointed Aaron Levi, formerly his chief of staff, as managing director of Climate Initiatives and Carbon Assets to manage the University's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2020 and to oversee other university-wide environmental efforts. As operations manager, he'll work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to develop a long-term strategy and track the University's sustainability and energy management plans. He also will ensure the University completes its prior sustainability commitments, including the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment and the AASHE STARS pilot project.

Whitman College (WA) has hired senior Karlis Rokpelnis as Campus Sustainability Coordinator. Working under the chair of the conservation committee, Rokpelnis serves as a liaison between faculty, staff, and students and is the administrator of Whitman's new $100,000 Revolving Loan Fund. As the first Whitman Campus Sustainability Coordinator, Rokpelnis works 10 hours per week.

The University of Arizona Residence Life has hired Mohammed Naser as the Social Justice Education Coordinator to teach students living in campus housing about diversity and social justice issues. One of Naser’s tasks is to form a peer advisory group called Advocates Coming Together, or ACT, that will be responsible for instituting new programs in the residence halls and on campus. Residence Life will be testing students’ knowledge about diversity and justice-oriented topics and themes before and after the academic year to gauge student learning.

The University of California, San Diego has appointed Byron Washom as its first Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives. Washom is tasked with providing strategic leadership in the establishment of an innovative energy plan. Future projects include energy storage systems that adjust to the intermittency of renewable energy and provide permanent load shifting; strategic purchasing of renewable energy from the grid during periods of surpluses; co-production of hydrogen from its fuel cell system; utilizing cold ocean water from the adjacent La Jolla Trench; and converting the campus vehicle transportation fleet into cleaner, alternative fuels.

Babson College (MA) has appointed Mart T. Donohue as its first Clean Technology Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Donohue will help design and teach Babson’s Clean Technology, Sustainability, and Social Entrepreneurship programs. Donohue will also teach in the MBA and Executive Education programs, as he conducts research in the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. His research will focus on developing a breadth of case studies on the key lessons learned from the Cleantech sector. The case study series intends to be a tool for colleges and executive education programs.

University of Connecticut Student Sustainability Coordinator Alissa Becker has developed the University of Connecticut Sustainable Office Guidelines: A Guide to Working Green at the University of Connecticut . The 30 page booklet features tips, ideas, photos, and charts to help UConn faculty and staff reduce the University's ecological footprint. Topics include recycling, energy use, meetings, purchasing, transportation, and water conservation.

Coastal Carolina University (SC) has named alumna Marissa Mitzner as the campus' first sustainability coordinator. Mitzner, who graduated from the University in May, will be responsible for helping to tranform Coastal Carolina University into a more environmentally-friendly university. Mitzner also manages the EcoReps program of student workers and is developing a plan for making Coastal Carolina University more bike-friendly.

The Associated Students of the University of Arizona has hired Lesley Ash as Sustainability Director. ASUA's Sustainability Director will be responsible for developing projects and initiatives that work to reduce waste at the University. Ash's first priorities will be to develop a composting system at UA's student unions and markets and to develop a sustainability committee within ASUA that will involve student clubs and organizations.

Virginia Commonwealth University has placed Jacek Ghosh in the newly created position of Director of Sustainability to spearhead the development and implementation of a plan that will guide the University toward climate neutrality. Ghosh previously was a visiting community scholar in VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. He also developed a business plan for the establishment of a Sustainable Community Design Center to complement a proposed new graduate program in Sustainable Community Design.

Indiana University has announced plans to hire a full-time interim Director of Campus Sustainability. The IU President approved the new hire in a proposal from the IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President and the University Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. The Director will be supported by a graduate assistant and part-time student employees. In the same proposal, the IU President also approved plans to extend its summer sustainability internship program through the 2008-2009 academic year and transform the Task Force on Campus Sustainability to a Sustainability Advisory Board.

Meredith College (NC) has hired Laura Fieselman as Sustainability Coordinator. In this newly created position, Fieselman will work with the entire college community to develop a comprehensive sustainability program, coordinate sustainability efforts already underway, and raise awareness of environmental issues among students, faculty, and staff. The effort to create the sustainability coordinator position was led by Meredith College’s Student Government Association.

Furman University (SC) has hired Dr. Angela Halfacre as the Director of Sustainability and Environmental Education. Halfacre will also be an Associate Professor of Political Science. She will be teaching environmental policy and sustainability courses. After graduating from Furman, she received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of Florida in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Her doctoral work had a substantive focus in environmental policy, and she also worked as policy specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has hired William W. Shilts as the Executive Director of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability. Since joining the Institute, Shilts has made the environmentally preferable development of Illinois’ energy resources a priority. The Institute comprises the four state scientific surveys that recently became part of the Urbana campus: the Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.

Western Kentucky University has appointed Christian Ryan-Downing as the University's first Sustainability Coordinator. Ryan-Downing will help identify and develop opportunities for reducing the University’s environmental footprint and operational costs through campus initiatives that reduce waste and use energy, water, and other resources more efficiently. She will work with students, faculty, and staff at WKU to integrate sustainability principles and practices into the University’s operations and culture. Ryan-Downing graduated from WKU in December 2007 with a Master's of Science degree; her graduate research focused on sustainability at WKU. As a student, she was a co-founder and president of GreenToppers Students for Campus Sustainability.

Pomona College (CA) has hired Bowen Patterson as its first Sustainability Coordinator. Patterson is tasked with helping students with sustainability projects and helping the College to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste. The new Sustainability Coordinator will also help Pomona with a sustainability strategic plan. Patterson graduated from Pomona and went on to earn a Masters of Urban Planning and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Cities at the University of Southern California.

Dickinson College (PA) has named Neil A. Leary as the first Director of its new Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education. Previous positions held by Leary include head of the Technical Support Unit of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, senior economist in the Office of Policy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and assistant professor at Middlebury College, where he also served as acting director of the Environmental Studies Program. Leary holds master and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Macalester College.

Drew University (NJ) has hired Christina Notas as the school's first Campus Sustainability Coordinator. Notas will be responsible for spearheading the University’s green initiatives and fostering a culture of environmentalism among students, faculty, and staff. Notas, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies, is a recent graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and an alumna of the New Jersey Governor’s School on the Environment.

Kennesaw State University (GA) has named Robert C. Paul‚ professor of biology in the College of Science and Mathematics‚ as the institution’s first Director of Sustainability. In his new role‚ Paul will oversee environmentally sustainable operational and educational initiatives. Paul assumed his new role on Aug. 1. The position is part of Kennesaw State’s overall efforts to lessen its environmental footprint and educate its students‚ faculty, and staff about environmental responsibility and sustainability.

The University of Southern Mississippi has hired Larry Lee as Sustainability Officer. Lee will be responsible for establishing the University's new Office of Sustainability, which will focus on recycling, operations, and education. Lee will also focus efforts on an educational component called EcoEagle, with the goal of incorporating educational elements into the curriculum as well as implementing other activities for students and employees.

The University of Florida Office of Sustainability has developed a new program called the Green Team Network. The program calls for one volunteer from each campus department to be a Green Team captain. The captain's job is to inspire others to participate in green practices and to start green initiatives in his/her department. Additionally, the Office of Sustainability has created a Green Team homepage to provide resources to the approximately 50 teams that have signed up so far.

North Carolina State University has hired Tracy Dixon as its first Sustainability Director and has established a University Sustainability Office. Dixon is tasked with leading, coordinating, communicating and expanding NCSU's sustainable efforts. Dixon holds a joint Masters degree in Natural Resources and Public Administration from NCSU where her research focused on measuring regional sustainability. The new Sustainability Office will serve as a go-to resource for campus sustainability information. The office will also work closely with the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team, a group of faculty, staff, and students, to create and implement a campus wide sustainability strategic plan. In related news, NCSU has launched its new sustainability website. The site is intended to be a centralized sustainability resource and a communication tool, allowing students, faculty, and staff to provide content, suggestions and feedback. The new website features a community events calendar, campus sustainability news, and sustainability initiatives taking place on campus.

The Pratt Institute (NY) has announced a Faculty Stipend Program to encourage and support Pratt's educational community in creating innovative ways to bring environmental awareness to students. The program consists of three types of stipends that support faculty in their attempts to integrate sustainability into existing courses, workshops and lectures, and academic initiatives. The program is offered through Pratt's Center for Sustainable Design Studies (CSDS), created and funded by the FIPSE grant awarded to Pratt last year, "Greener by Design".

Saint Michael's College (VT) has hired Heather J. Ellis as the College's first Sustainability Coordinator. The new coordinator is tasked with developing and managing campus sustainability programs, and she plans to work towards a culture of sustainability on campus as well. Ellis graduated in 2007 from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Environmental Conservation.

Smith College (MA) has hired Dano Weisbord as Sustainability Director, a new position tasked with integrating sustainability principles and practices into campus operations. Weisbord's responsibilities will include directing the development and implementation of the College’s sustainability plan, goals and standards; working with college departments and programs to develop a culture of sustainability; and researching and recommending environmentally sustainable technologies and practices. Weisbord will begin in August.

The Indiana University Sustainability Task Force has appointed 18 undergraduate interns and graduate fellows to its second Summer Program in Sustainability. Under the mentorship of IU faculty and staff, students will work on a broad array of academic and operational issues related to sustainability. Building upon the work done by their predecessors last summer and through the past academic year, the students will engage in research and lay the groundwork for new initiatives aimed at further improvement of sustainability on the Bloomington campus. In addition to their individual projects, the undergraduate interns and graduate fellows will participate in an academic seminar focused on sustainability. Building on the last summer's program, the seminar is designed to build a cohesive cohort of interns and fellows as well as a learning community of individuals interested in issues related to sustainability.

A group of Lewis and Clark College (OR) faculty recently participated in a curriculum workshop designed to teach participants how to infuse the concepts of environmentalism into their teaching and research. Represented departments included Biology, Geology, Environmental Studies, Mathematics, Computer Science, History, Sociology, Philosophy, Athlectics, and the College Chapel.

The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh held a workshop aimed at teaching faculty to infuse sustainability into their curriculum. The Winnebago Sustainability Project workshop, which is based off of the model taught in AASHE's Sustainability Across the Curriculum Leadership Workshops, was attended by 10 UW Oshkosh faculty. It was created as a result of the UW Oshkosh Sustainability Plan goal to link the University's formal mission with informal teaching opportunities to develop understanding, attitudes, and habits that promote sustainability.

The Presidio School of Management (CA) has appointed Hunter Lovins, Gil Friend, Jay Ogilvy, and Sissel Waage as faculty in the new Executive Program teaching team. They will work with senior-level professionals on the practical applications of sustainable business frameworks, tools and metrics, and their courses will teach participants how to apply sustainability principles to achieve greater profitability and integrated bottom line results.

Kansas State University recently appointed Ben Champion as the first ever Director of Sustainability to develop a university-wide approach for addressing sustainability at K-State. Champion will provide leadership and oversight to existing initiatives such as campus recycling and construction of green buildings on campus, and he will also identify opportunities for new initiatives, help develop curriculum, facilitate interdisciplinary research, work with students, and engage the broader community in areas where K-State can be a leader in terms of sustainability.

Stanford University (CA) recently hired Fahmida Ahmed as the new Manager of Sustainable Programs in the University's Office of Sustainability and Energy Management. Ahmed will support the office's executive director in implementing and improving sustainability programs throughout the University. In addition, she will assist in the development and implementation of a campus greenhouse gas reduction plan and will manage the office's communications and community relations programs and, overall, assist in efforts to achieve long-range sustainability goals. Ahmed has served as sustainability specialist at the University of California-Berkeley since 2006, managing the California Climate Action Partnership and other campus sustainability programs.

The University of New England (ME) recently hired Alethea Cariddi as the new Sustainability Coordinator. Cariddi will develop and implement a comprehensive plan of sustainability initiatives on UNE’s Portland and Biddeford campuses. She will serve on UNE’s Environmental Council and advocate for organizational awareness of and participation in sustainability projects.

The University of Pennsylvania recently appointed Daniel Garofalo as the University's first Environmental Sustainability Coordinator. Garofalo will be responsible for developing Penn’s long-range sustainability strategy by addressing energy conservation, waste management, green buildings, transportation and planning.

The City College of New York has hired Dr. Sanjoy Banerjee as the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Technologies and as faculty of The Grove School of Engineering as Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering. The Institute for Sustainable Energy Technologies is the successor to the Clean Fuels Institute, which had been studying the economic and environmental impacts of alternative energy sources. Professor Banerjee’s vision calls for the Institute to develop sustainable energy technology to generate electricity from renewable, but intermittent, sources as well as existing nighttime overcapacity, store it efficiently and deliver it on demand.

Dartmouth College (NH) recently hired Kathy Fallon Lambert as the new Sustainability Manager. Lambert, who is scheduled to take office in August 2008, will help the College develop a strategy to integrate sustainability principles and practices into Dartmouth's operations and culture. The new Manager hopes to develop and build more student environmental programs, including expanding Dartmouth's student orientation programs to include information about sustainable living.

Cornell University (NY) recently hired Jefferson Tester Ph.D. as the first Croll Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems in the College of Engineering. Tester is expected to play a leadership role in the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future, which is bringing together experts in education and research from across campus to work toward common sustainability goals.

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The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education is a membership association of colleges & universities, businesses, and nonprofits who are working together to lead the sustainability transformation. Learn more about AASHE's mission.